The Colin McEnroe Show

The HBO television adaptation of the video game The Last of Us takes place after a global pandemic caused by a fungal infection. Which sparked the question: how much should we be afraid of fungal infections in our world today? This hour, we learn about the real-life fungal infection of ants that inspired the video game, and we discuss the role of fungi in our world. Plus, we talk with a local mush...

This week’s Nose thanks you for your underwear concern. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a sequel to 2018’s Black Panther . It is the seventh and final movie in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the first phase of The Multiverse Saga. It is the 30th film overall in the MCU. I don’t really know what most of that stuff means, but here’s some stuff I do understand: Wakanda Forever is the...

This hour we discuss the problem with pizza boxes and food expiration dates. Plus we look at the history of the donkey and what it can tell us about human history. GUESTS:  Samantha Brooks:  Associate Professor of Equine Physiology and a Member of the Genetics Institute at the University of Florida Brian Roe:  The Van Buren Professor in the Department of Agriculture, Environmental, and Development...

We’ve been doing these shows a couple times a month where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing — calls about grammar, gardening, long-distance dialing, autotune. Anything. Everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we’re doing another one. In other words: Give us a cal...

Redheads. They smell better. They’re better at sensing temperature changes. They can handle more pain. (Those things are apparently all true.) But. From being associated with witchcraft in the Middle Ages to being portrayed as hot-tempered or even soulless in our present popular culture, the red-haired continue to be seen as another kind of other. This hour, in the era of Prince Harry and Ed Sheer...

This hour: are too many documents classified in the U.S.? Plus, why the State Department is changing its default font. And, we'll look at the connection between exercise and spirituality. GUESTS:  Matthew Connelly:  Professor of International and Global History at Columbia University, author of the forthcoming book  The Declassification Engine: What History Reveals About America’s Top Secrets , an...

This week’s Nose never burns anything unless by design — to make delicious. This year’s Academy Award nominations were announced Tuesday morning. Everything Everywhere All at Once leads the pack with 11. Steven Spielberg, nominated three times for The Fabelmans , earned his first-ever screenwriting nod in 45 years of nominations. Tom Cruise is nominated for the first time in 23 years (and for the...

There’s more to narcissism than meets the eye. This hour, we reflect on narcissism — our misunderstandings about it, its pervasiveness in our culture, and the personal, public, and political damage it wreaks. GUESTS: Mark Ettensohn: Clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of narcissists Lee Hammock: “Self-aware” narcissist who shares his experience and insights on social media Pete Hat...

You’ve likely heard the Greek myth of Cassandra, a woman given the gift of prophecy who was cursed never to be believed. This hour, a look at the Cassandra story and its relevance today, including some real-life Cassandras, like the diplomat who tried to stop World War II and the public health official who tried to warn us about the COVID-19 pandemic. GUESTS: Joel Christensen: Professor of classic...

This hour we look at the landscape of monuments across the United States and explore how new monuments are created and how old ones are decommissioned. Plus, what could a COVID-19 memorial look like and represent? GUESTS: Sue Mobley: Director of research at  Monument Lab Erin Thompson: Professor of art crime at John Jay College and the author of  Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America’s Pu...

Talk of regulating gas stoves in the United States recently ignited a firestorm. This hour we talk about what sparked the debate, the health impacts of gas stoves, and why many have grown attached to them. Plus, we look at what this debate can teach us about climate communications and actions, and the history and culture of cooking. GUESTS:  Daniel Cohan: Associate Professor of Civil and Environme...

This week’s Nose has no prince autopilot button that you can press and it just takes you away. The English-language edition of Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex’s Spare reportedly sold 1.43 million copies on the day it was published and 3.2 million copies in its first week . It is now the fastest-selling non-fiction book ever published . And then there’s Harry & Meghan , the six-part docuseries...

Thanks to rapid COVID-19 tests, most of us have gotten comfortable taking medical tests at home. But why aren't there home tests for more diseases? This hour, we look at the phenomenon of home medical tests, explore what's in store for their future, and discuss their impact on the medical world. Plus, we'll dig into the history and the cultural impact of home pregnancy tests. GUESTS:  Dr. Michael...

We’ve been doing these shows a couple times a month where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to aging and independent living, printers and their upkeep, leaving the TV on for your pets, the dangers of deflated balloons to cattle and otherwise … Anything. (Seeming...

The concept of the hero’s journey was popularized by Joseph Campbell and outlined in his 1949 book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces . Campbell based the hero’s journey framework off of myths from around the world. Since then, the idea of the hero’s journey has been used in popular books and movies from Star Wars through Harry Potter to The Hunger Games and beyond. But, despite its popularity, Campb...

Decision to Leave (헤어질 결심) is the eleventh feature film directed by Park Chan-wook. It deftly threads the police procedural, neo-noir, mystery, and, maybe, romance genres together. Decision to Leave was nominated for Best Non-English Language Film at the Golden Globe Awards, and it’s shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Some other possible topics include: Jef...

We recently heard that scientists are estimating that there are 20 quadrillion ants on Earth . Which made us wonder: how do we make sense of a number like that? This hour is all about how we relate to unimaginable numbers, both large and small. And, why our inability to conceptualize large numbers can have a real-world impact during times like a pandemic. GUESTS: Shabnam Mousavi: A scientist at th...

In just the last year, at least six different late night comedy shows have ended. Conan O’Brien left Conan on TBS, who also canceled Full Frontal with Samantha Bee . Desus & Mero split up, ending their Showtime program. NBC canceled the very late A Little Late with Lilly Singh . Trevor Noah just left The Daily Show a few weeks ago, and James Corden has announced that he’ll leave The Late Late...

Punk rock’s been around for a good half a century now. This hour, a deep dive into punk’s past and present. GUESTS: Legs McNeil: Co-founder of  PUNK Magazine  and co-author of  Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk Kelefa Sanneh: Author of  Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres  and a staff writer at The New Yorker Ben Social and Amy Wappel: Formed the Connecticut-...

After 15 votes, Representative Kevin McCarthy is now speaker of the House of Representatives. This hour we talk about that election, its historical significance, and C-SPAN’s coverage of it. GUESTS:  Joanne Freeman:  The Class of 1954 Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University and the co-host of the American History and politics podcast “ Now & Then .” Her most recent book is...

This week’s Nose is like a shapeless, growing thing, a dark, black, breathing thing of smoke. White Noise is a movie adaptation of the landmark 1985 Don DeLillo novel written and directed by Noah Baumbach. It stars Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and Don Cheadle, and Driver is nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy. Netflix calls the movie, “At once...

This hour we discuss episode recaps and why we need them. We talk about why they're so popular, what makes them useful, and what their prevalence can tell us about the current TV landscape. Plus, we learn about why we have trouble remembering all the TV we watch, and we take a look at the evolution of the “previously on” television recap sequence. GUESTS:  Dr. Wilma Bainbridge: Assistant Professor...

Translators help open up our worlds by bringing us stories from around the globe. But often they’re not given very much credit for their work. This hour, the art of translation. Plus, a look at the challenges of translating movies and TV shows through subtitles and dubbing for international audiences. GUESTS: Jennifer Croft: Writer and translator and the winner of the 2018 Booker International Pri...

Welcome to 2023. For our first show of the new year, we figured we’d see what’s on your minds. This hour, it’s book editors and learning foreign languages and The Cars tribute bands and the Oscar contenders and Damar Hamlin and the music streaming services on your minds. … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. Join the conversation on  Facebook  and  Twitter . The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a...

To round out the year, we round up the best jazz of the year. We’ve done this every year for at least the last nine years . GUESTS: Jen Allen : A pianist, composer, arranger, and educator; her most recent album is Sifting Grace Noah Baerman : A pianist, composer, and educator; his most recent album, with Henry Lugo, is  Alter Ego Gene Seymour : A film, television, and music critic The Colin McEnro...